


The Foolish Asteroid

by AbbodonAbandon



Category: Death Note
Genre: AU, Angst, Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Trans Male Character, Trans Yagami Light, Trans boy Light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-21 21:21:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13152279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbbodonAbandon/pseuds/AbbodonAbandon
Summary: Because Light is a brilliant sun, and nothing escapes his pull.





	The Foolish Asteroid

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LOTW](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LOTW/gifts).



> Please read and comment below. (And yell at me on tumblr at @abbadon-abandon about trans Light/ just Light in general!)

Asteroids are lonely creations. Eternally, they spin, tilted across the axes of space, pockmarked faces twirling past endless planets without rest.  
  
L sat. His fingers, poised for nothing, hovered over the keyboard of his laptop. None of the taskforce had noticed he had stopped typing; they weren’t paying attention to him. So L watched.   
  
Matsuda sat beside Aizawa. A laugh like a bell left his mouth as he smacked Aizawa’s arm. The man only grunted, pushing Matsuda away, but a small smile still teased the corner of his mouth. “That’s rude, Aizawa-san.” A pout had formed on the younger man’s lips.

“Have you gotten the coffee yet, Matsuda-san?” L asked, forming his lips like what he imagined Aizawa’s to be like in that moment.

Matsuda flinched, staring up at him. The joy from before was gone. “Yes, L-Ryuzaki. I’ll get it right away.” He scurried out, casting Aizawa a backward glance that L tried not to read in to. L turned to face Aizawa then, a half formed question, perhaps a simple inquiry, formed on his lips. Aizawa had already looked down.

But sometimes, their orbits are interrupted. A blinding light, so brilliant as it flashes, is all it takes for a singular rock to stray desperately from its path.

“Yagami Light.” L stated the name firmly, still in monotone. His eyes bore into those of the boy before him.

The suit fit perfectly. Tailored enough so it hugged his waist, cutting a neat and sharp line and drawing attention to the pleasant symmetry of the boy’s figure. But it did not hold a candle to his eyes. Large, and delicately slanted, chips of deep amber peering inquisitively out at him from thick lashes. If he hadn’t seen the bite behind them, L would have thought he was like a doe, shying away from being caught.

“And you are?” The voice, high yet strong, made L shiver.

“Ryuga. Ryuga Hideki.”

“That’s quite the name, Ryuga-san. Any relation to the idol, or-” A certain teasingness had entered Light’s voice, a kind that made it seem like they were old friends, falling together into a familiar rhythm after having been apart for a long absence. So L had to cut him off.

“No. No relation. Now, would you like to go first or should I?” He gestured smally at the stage above them.

Light smiled. Only covertly did he show how much L’s interruption had bothered him. “I can go first, if you want. Warm up the crowd and all.” The familiar teasingness from before was gone. Only chipped politeness remained. Good, L thought. He pushed the small itch of disappointment away.

But the light, so brilliant yet so far away, remained intangible to the asteroid. A simple enticement, yet a mocking glare at the edge of the asteroid's vision.

Light Yagami sat just to L’s right, head lolled back lazily as he scanned the information before him on the screen. The fitted jacket that he so often wore had been cast to the arm of his chair, draped haphazardly yet artfully across it.

“Is Light-kun bored with the proceedings?” L pointedly studied his own screen, hunched in what most would consider an “attentive” position. At least, one more attentive than Light’s.

“No, Ryuzaki.” A small growl had entered his voice. “I’m reading. It’s hot in here, so I took my jacket off. Unlike you, I don’t need to expend so much energy on a simple task.”

“Of course. Barely absorbing a text is quite a simple task.”

Light snorted. “Is something the matter? Or are you just being… yourself, today.”

L refused to respond.

The loud stomp of Matsuda, feet slapping against the floor as he entered the room, snapped L’s concentration. His head raised right into position to yell at him when he stopped.

Matsuda stood over Light, one hand on a coffee proffered to the boy. “It’s just like you like it; Two creams, no sugar, with just a hint of peppermint.”

“Thank you.” Light beamed. His hand laid itself on Matsuda’s arm. The thumb stroked slightly against the gray fabric. “Was the wait too bad, or…”

“N-not too bad, haha. There were only a few other people.” Dark red had begun to bloom in Matsuda’s face.

“Mm, that’s good, I suppose. By the way, how was your weekend? I heard you telling Aizawa-san that you were going to see a new movie, what was it again…” Light’s lips plumped as he thought, hand withdrawing to tap against them in contemplation. Matsuda leaned closer, his own hand going to rest on Light’s arm. The whole scene felt obscene. L fought the urge to vomit.

“The new X-men movie, yeah.” L noted with bitter satisfaction that if Matsuda leaned any closer he would fall.

“Was it any good? I used to love the comics when I was a kid. There was just something about Magneto, you know?” Light laughed, head tipping back. For a moment, his eye caught L’s, and he looked away.

“You should be working, Light-kun. It is unbecoming and positively Kira-ish of you to hamper the investigation like this.”

Matsuda snapped to attention, sheepishly grinning at L as he mumbled out an apology. He threw a half-rushed “Sorry!” to Light before returning to his seat.

Until Matsuda had safely seated himself, Light didn’t speak. “You didn’t have to do that, you know. He was going to his seat soon anyway.”

“Did I?” He didn’t look at Light.

“He’s my friend, and we were talking. Am I not allowed to have friends?”

L hunched at Light’s tone. “Light-kun can have friends on his own time, but while he is here, he needs to work.”

Light huffed, and L couldn’t help but imagine the pout from before being present on his face. L didn’t dare turn to check.

But, after endless travel across the star-specked sky, the light began to grow brighter.

“I need to get undressed now, Ryuzaki.” Light was tired. But why shouldn’t he be? His father had mock-executed him only hours earlier. All at L’s command, although he tried not to think about it.

“Yes, that would be prudent. Although, I’m sure you are not concerned with the state of those clothes…”

Light flushed in tired indignance. “I just want to be in bed, ok? I’m tired. I want to sleep. Is that a crime to you?”

L waited before answering. “No, I suppose it is not.”

“Good.” Light smiled then, gently like a soft beam of sunlight in mid autumn, and L couldn’t look away. “Now, I need to undress, and then redress (haha), so can you please give me some privacy?”

L nodded, turning away. A few short huffs of struggled breaths escaped Light before he called out “Finished!”.

L looked over. And his heart stopped. Curled up like a cat, a friendly cat, lay Light, the blanket wrapped around him and soft, red-brown hair falling on the pillow as a tiredly-playful gaze met his.

“Why are you gaping, Ryuzaki? It’s impolite to stare.” Light didn’t seem to mind.

“Light-kun is…” L didn’t dare finish the thought.

“Tired?” A laugh left him then, like the peal of a bell. “Don’t worry, Ryuzaki, I know the effect I still have on most men. It’s nothing new.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, we’re friends, right? Nothing weird between us.” Light turned away from him then, clutching the pillow and pulling it to his face as he fluffed it before laying down.

“Nothing weird.” Repeated L.

“Geez, these beds sure are small. I guess we’ll have to sleep pretty close tonight…”

L blinked. The bed indeed was too small for both of them, with Light almost taking up half of it. L only had himself to thank for that.

“I suppose, you are right.” Slithering into bed, he laid beside Light. His arm rested around the boy’s waist.

“You’re getting awful comfortable.” Light chuckled, grabbing his arm so it lay higher, firmly around his chest.

A small blush spread across L’s face. “Light-kun is not wearing his binder…” Suddenly, it seemed so much more intimate than before.

Light laughed, his back arching slightly as he pressed into L. L found he rather enjoyed the sensation. “I can’t sleep in a binder, silly. It’ll mess up my ribs.”

“Oh?” L’s unoccupied hand travelled to stroke across Light’s arm.

“Does the great genius L not understand that a device designed to crush a person’s breasts to their chest could possibly be unhealthy to keep on for a long period of time?”

“Well, when you put it like that, Light-kun…”

“‘When I put it like that’? Or are you just listening to me because you think I’m pretty.” Teasingly, Light nudged his elbow into L’s ribs. For the briefest of moments L thought his heart stopped beating.

“That is an awful accusation to make; I value what Light-kun says very much.”

“‘Very much’? Now you’re getting all sappy on me!” The laugh was back, bright and warm as before and enough to make L’s heart clench painfully in his chest.

“You seem awfully happy for someone who just moments earlier tried to impress upon me how tired they were. Care to explain?” L finally replied.

A loud snort left Light. “It’s almost like you don’t want to talk to me.”

“Again with the accusations, Light. You must think so terribly of me.”

“Must I?” The teasing was gone from Light. His hand gently caressed L’s.

L pretended not to hear.

As the asteroid stumbled closer, trialing steadily across the sky, the light before it grew brighter and brighter till it was near blinded by its brilliance.

The room was empty except for them. In the back of L’s mind, L knew Light was likely only here with him, alone, because of the chain, but… Light was here with him. The only person with him.

“What’s wrong, Ryuzaki?” The boy looked up from his own computer to smile at him. L returned it.

“Nothing. Just thinking, Light.”

“About the case? Because I can help, you know.”

“Mm? You can, yes. But it wasn’t about the case.” It was about you.

“Oh. Then what was it about?” A pout had formed cutely on Light’s lips, and L resisted the urge to trail his fingers across it.

“Nothing.” His lips sealed tightly.

“Then why were you blushing?”

For a long moment, L refused to respond. Light’s pleading eyes, warm and amber, bore into him.

“I was thinking about you.”

A soft smile lit Light’s face. “Was it something good?”

“No.”

Light laughed. “You’re charming, Ryuzaki-san. I bet that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend; too many to choose from.” The pink tip of his tongue poked out at L for the briefest of moments.

“‘Too many to choose from’? Is that why you don’t have a real girlfriend either?”

That earned another laugh from Light. “No. I just don’t like women.”

“Really? They must be very disappointed.”

“They really aren’t, for obvious reasons.” Light’s smile tightened.

“Oh. Well, what about the men, then? You said you had an, ah, ‘effect’ on them.”

“Oh, I think I may like them even less.” Light laughed bitterly.

“I’m sorry, then. If that’s… painful for you to think about-”

“It’s fine.”

“May I ask one more question then?”

Something glittered in Light’s eyes. “I suppose you may.”

“Do you like anyone?”

A second passed as Light looked into L’s eyes. “Yes, I suppose I do.”

L became immediately aware of how little distance actually stood between them.

“You do? Is it Matsuda? I suppose one could call him cute, but-”

“It’s you, you idiot.” Light’s face looked dark red under the light.

“That’s a wonderful thing to hear.” L was above him now, right above, and he placed one long arm on the right side of Light’s chair. For balance, he told himself. His head leaned down to meet Light’s.

“Well I’m glad I told you then.” Light tilted his head up, leaning in to close the gap between their lips.

With each passing moment, with each second, the light grew brighter. The heat, like plumes of fire reaching out to embrace the little asteroid, overwhelmed it.

The roar of the helicopter thundered around them. Still, it was not enough to cover the piercing scream that left L as he first saw the white shinigami watching him.

Yellow eyes, slitted and as cruel as a cat’s, met his.

A hand, warm and soft, clutched his arm, and L felt the trance break.

“Ryuuzaki? A-are you alright?” Worry dripped from the boy’s tone, so soft and sweet like honey.

For a moment, L chose not to reply. “I think you should see for yourself, Light.”

Light looked pale at the suggestion. A delicate hand reached out for the black notebook somehow still clutched tightly in L’s bone-white grip. The pads of Light’s fingers brushed against the dark cover, and he stiffened.

L could hear his own heart beating in his eardrums as he waited for Light to make a sound. For the briefest of moments, all was quiet. Then-

Light screamed. The sound broke deep into L’s bones.

Immediately, L’s arms reached to embrace Light, pulling the hysterical boy into a pressured hold. “We’re fine, Light. It can’t get you. I won’t let it.” The only response to L’s words were a whimper. A moment passed as L listened to the boy’s heart beat in a jarred rhythm.

A hand laid itself on L’s arm, before pushing it away. “I’m fine now, Ryuzaki. You can let go now.”

“But Light-kun-”

“I said I’m fine.” Light snapped, fully disentangling himself from L’s hold.

With a sigh, L turned away. He needed to focus on the case. Not… this.

Suddenly, Light stood above him, back warped from the shape of the cockpit so he hunched over L. Somehow, L hadn’t seen him move. “Light-kun? What are you-”

Lips crashed into his, harsh and soft and hungry and-

Light pulled back. Small pants left him, and his nails dug into L’s skin as he half-sat, not quite on L’s lap. “I wanted to see if it felt the same.” The words left Light in a whisper, and L wasn’t sure if he was supposed to have heard them.

A dry smile curled Light’s mouth, before he stepped off of L. “Sorry for that. I suppose seeing the… shinigami here reminded me of my own, of our own mortality.” There was a dull sense of amusement in Light’s voice.

“Oh? Is Light-kun superstitious?” He meant it as a playful jab. But Light only looked at him blankly in return.

For all of its long and fevered journey, it had made a mistake. With it’s last dying breath, the little asteroid was pulled into the overwhelming brilliance of the star.

L felt off. The world felt off. Light felt off. Because for the past few days, the boy had been avoiding him. Because the laugh, the one Light used to tell him, to tell anyone, that they were close and friends and that maybe he didn’t hate L as much as he despised others like him, was gone. Because now, Light was cold.

A shadow fell over him, and L knew before looking that it was Light.

“Ryuuzaki.” The voice was calm and polite. Distant. None of the other task force members had seemed to notice the change.

“Light.”

“No ‘kun’?” He didn’t sound disappointed. Instead, something about him seemed… coiled. Like he was waiting. L didn’t want to think about it. “Well, Ryuuzaki, I think-”

“Do you think? Do you even care?” He meant for the words to sound bitter, harsh like a reprimand, but they fell flat at Light’s feet. Hurt and wounded like a stupid animal and unable even to stagger to safety. “You’ve been avoiding me.” He finally bit out, the words half-chewed as they dribbled out of his mouth.

“Have I?” The voice is soft, and L looks up into a trap of warm amber eyes. The fire from before, the hatred, is gone. But so is the compassion.

“I- I” Before he said it, L, perhaps by chance , perhaps by some other from of fate, glanced over at his monitor. As if he was trapped in a nightmare, three words flashed on screen. “ALL DATA DELETION”

“Watari…” The words left him in a strangled whisper.

Slowly, L’s eyes met Light’s. Light’s hand came to rest gently on his. The first beginnings of something, like pressure, pressed on his chest.

“I loved you, you know.” The words could barely leave him.

Light’s eyes tightened,. His hand squeezed L’s once, almost sympathetically, if L fooled himself enough, before lifting. “That’s a terrible thing to say to accuse someone of”


End file.
